2008

Drawing Inspiration From the Young
Dear Editor,
Xover has really come of age. I like the grey brown impressions on the off-white background, reminding me of muddy specks on a village house wall.
It is not a coincidence that you have featured Ramani’s advocacy of greywater use, alongside the article bemoaning waste of freshwater in Bangalore medians for maintaining lawns, especially featuring water-guzzlers like Mexican and Bermuda grass.

It took minutes for the top guns to swing into action when the Sensex fell by several hundred points. But no Minister came forward to calm the nation when India hit the 94th rank in the Global Hunger Index.

This edition brings you a few tips more, from naanimaa. Our grandmas sure know how to be eco-sensitive. Give these a try at home.

The Wonder Leaf
If your food seems extra salty, put a banana leaf over the vessel and cover. Steam it and cool. The leaf will absorb the extra salt.

Heat it with the Stuff
To clean a stained or dirty frying pain, sprinkle with cooking salt, heat on the stove, then clean off with a newspaper.

Rid the Dirt
While cleaning green leafy vegetables, add a few drops of vinegar or salt to the water. This way, it is easy to get rid of worms and dirt.

Willie Corduff, 53, of Rossport, Ireland, mobilized his small farming village to stop Shell Oil from building a gas pipeline that would cross the land of more than two dozen farmers. Worried about the health and environmental impacts, Corduff and his neighbors launched a campaign to stop the project and even spent three months in jail for blocking access to their property. Their campaign paid off — a court recently ordered Shell to redesign the project.